The Truth Dawns on Gen. Peter Pace. But Too Late

General Pete Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, now says he should have kept his views about homosexuals in the military to himself.

Ya think?

Having said that he believes homosexual acts are immoral, and comparing them to adultery among men and women in the service, Pace has now gone into a slow, ineffective backpedal.

He completely supports the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” policy, Pace is now saying and he should have focused less “on my personal moral views.”

Department of Defense

On the other hand, Gen. Peter Pace has now decided, maybe I should have kept the old lip zipped.

Not to worry, general, you’ll have plenty of time to focus during your retirement, which is likely to be coming up very soon. Like a host of others who have failed to notice when the winds of change have shifted direction, Pace is probably shocked to see the uproar he’s kicked up. He likely had no idea he was taking a controversial stand and probably thought he was speaking for the vast majority.

Now he’s not only walked into a media firestorm, it isn’t going away. His tepid explanation didn’t satisfy his critics, and supporters have been noticeably reluctant to step up to defend him.

Senator John Warner, the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, isn’t exactly Pee Wee Herman. He’s a former Marine who served in Korea and a former undersecretary of the Navy. Warner tactfully said he would not comment on the “Don’t Ask” policy, but when offered the chance to halt Pace’s free fall, he stepped aside and let Pace drop.

“I respectfully, but strongly, disagree with the chairman’s view that homosexuality is immoral,” Warner said.

So let’s mark that down as “not supportive” shall we?

What Pace may really have done is managed to gin up enthusiasm for a complete review of the “Don’t Ask” policy. And although this might be an interesting moral debate, as Pace said, the real issue will probably be much more simple, direct, and relevant to the American people — the readiness of the military in a time of war.

According to government statistics, nearly 10,000 men and women have been drummed out of military service in this country since the “Don’t Ask” policy was instituted in 1993. Many of them, as many have pointed out, have been valuable members of the service, particularly translators. It wasn’t that they weren’t doing a good job, or weren’t needed and useful. They were gay or lesbian, and that was the only reason.

As the military struggles to meet quotas, the reality is that the U.S. Military is dismissing fewer and fewer homosexual soldiers. There are two reasons: first, they need all the troops they can find, and second, what’s the point of getting rid of good soldiers on a ideological test?

Now, a big fact argument over homosexuality is a non-starter. Asked “if homosexuality was immoral,” Hillary Clinton put on the old tap shoes and danced as far away as possible. She was, she said, “going to leave that to others to conclude.”

But a simpler question: Is it right to discriminate against homosexuals in the military, could be a much simpler test. There will be some grumbling and towel-snapping from the old boys in the military, but they’re pretty much without a leg to stand on. How can they say that they support discrimination against homosexuals, when most states and cities disagree? And besides, the rank and file don’t find this to be shocking.

Gen. John Shalikashvili had Pace’s job when the “Don’t Ask” policy was enacted. He thought it was the right thing then. But in an editorial in January, he said, “I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces. Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.”

Tough to argue with that.

The odd part of all this is that Pace is an unlikely lightning rod. In fact, in Tom Ricks’ book, “Fiasco,” Pace is mocked as “Smiling Pete Pace,” someone who was seen as extremely “pliable,” and eager to go with the flow.

This time, unfortunately for Pace, he misjudged the flow. The smart money says that he will be lucky to save his job. He may not be removed, but he may well take a strong hint and retire.

At this point he’s only got one thing to say — thank God for Alberto Gonzales.